Father Of Slain Chicago Child Found Not Guilty Of Gun Charges

A Cook County judge has ruled that Antonio Brown is not guilty of gun charges stemming the fatal shooting of his son, Amari, in 2015.

Last year, a fourth of July celebration took a tragic turn for a Chicago family when 7-year-old Amari Brown was slain during a gang shooting. The bullets that took Brown’s life were reportedly intended to harm his father Antonio Brown.

In April 2015, Brown allegedly fled from police officers on the Eisenhower Expressway after there were reports that he was driving with a gun in his lap. According to the officers, Brown crashed and exited the vehicle while “holding a black revolver in his right hand” and “tossed same revolver onto right seat of vehicle.” He was later arrested for gun possession and other charges and was released on bail.

But on Monday, a Cook County judge ruled that Brown was not guilty after his attorney raised concerns about police accounts related to the case. “We respect the court’s decision and stand behind the work of the officers, detectives and prosecutors in the Brown case,” said Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi in a statement, writes the Sun-Times:

“The seriousness of how our criminal justice system treats habitual gun crime, as well as the effectiveness of deterring felons from carrying illegal guns in Chicago, is well represented in this case.”

Law enforcement officials wanted Brown’s case to bring attention to the lax gun laws in Chicago. Prior to the incident, Brown had been arrested 45 times.